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*****
"Why give up?"
Harry asked softly, looking at the shattered pieces on the ground.
"We're just students. We can't handle something this dangerous," said one of the twins.
"Maybe it has value, but its value surpasses what we can bear," the twins shook their heads in unison. "Besides, we can't wait until it falls into the wrong hands to regret it. We might not have the power to save the world, but we certainly don't want to be the bad seeds that make it worse."
"Azkaban isn't exactly where we'd like to end up, Harry," Fred said, waving his hand with a faint smile.
"Yeah, the only thing worse than Dementors would be Fred's stinky feet. If we were locked up together, I wouldn't live to see the next sunrise with that double torture," George added with a side glance at Fred, recalling some unpleasant memory.
"I wash my feet every day! How could they possibly stink?!"
"Last time you left your shoes in the attic, even the ghoul threw up!"
Fred, momentarily speechless, turned his head and cleared his throat, awkwardly changing the topic.
"Ahem... Harry, you seemed to think we shouldn't abandon the research?"
"If there's work to be done, it's 'Captain.' If not, then just call me Harry," Harry said with a grin, pulling another bottle of Elixir of Life from his bag. He nodded affirmatively, "Of course."
"Your research is dangerous, no doubt. It's a double-edged sword. Didn't Professor Grindelwald teach us in the first lesson that when you cut your hand on a blade, the answer isn't to lock it away, but to learn how to wield it properly?"
"Dark magic, to most people, is inherently evil. But why is it that Grindelwald, universally acknowledged as a master of dark magic, didn't become a mad, twisted monster?"
"He figured out how to wield the double-edged sword of dark magic correctly. That's why people both fear his power and respect his wisdom. I believe this is what separates him from Voldemort."
"Could you not say his name so directly?"
The twins shuddered, speaking with a trace of resentment. Growing up during Voldemort's reign of terror, they had been scared witless by the very name of the Dark Lord, leaving childhood trauma in its wake.
"Alright, I won't mention Voldemort," Harry rolled his eyes, thinking he should get the NC War Crimes Chronicles back from Hagrid to show the twins. He wondered if Hagrid had finished reading it; since giving him that book, Hagrid no longer reacted so violently whenever Voldemort's name came up.
"I had a suspicion for a while now—something big is happening in the magical world. A war is coming, and it's not going to be some small skirmish. It's going to be something that affects the entire magical community."
"In England, at Hogwarts, we don't feel much change. But outside, the magical world is already shifting."
"When I formed the battle group, I talked with Professor Grindelwald. He encouraged me to go to Durmstrang, to study real magic, and to witness the new magical world. He told me that in the areas controlled by his Purist Party, the magical world has already started a transformation—a transformation that began decades ago."
"When I was in the Soviet Union, not only did I witness an inhuman battle, but I also noticed something different. There, wizards don't discriminate against Muggles. In fact, they've built rather close ties with them. I can boldly speculate that outside of England, the collision of wizarding magic and Muggle technology has already begun sparking intellectual breakthroughs."
"What drives their cooperation? If there's a reason, it's because they have a common enemy to fight."
"Before the Industrial Revolution, Muggles stood no chance of competing with wizards on the same stage. But what about now? Technology has exploded. In just a few hundred years, Muggles, once looked down upon by wizards, now possess the power to destroy themselves. They could turn Earth into a scorched wasteland, with thick clouds of radiation lingering for centuries."
"I believe that Grindelwald's change of heart wasn't just because of Professor Dumbledore's persuasion, but also because he witnessed the towering mushroom clouds—an awe-inspiring display of power."
"1945 wasn't just the year Grindelwald and Dumbledore dueled. It was also the year the atomic bomb was first detonated."
"War is coming—a war that will require wizards and Muggles to join forces. It could be an alien invasion, or more likely, an uprising from the Abyss."
"Professor Flitwick told me that the world has known peace for too long. Though he didn't elaborate, the next words aren't hard to guess."
"The battle group I've formed isn't just for playing Quidditch. To be honest, even if you guys were super-enhanced, if I went all out, you'd still get thrashed."
Harry didn't hold back, speaking bluntly. Everyone was progressing, so why should he stand still? No! He would only move faster than everyone else.
"I want to be prepared for the Abyssal War ahead of time. I want to find companions who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me. War and battle are never things one can face alone."
"The day I officially name our battle group will be the day I raise our banner and charge into battle!"
"At that moment, I will make sure the world remembers my name—remembers our name!"
Fred and George fell silent. They had never imagined that Harry thought this way. A boy who had lived with Muggles for eleven years, stepping into the magical world for only a few short months, had already pieced together the truth from fragmented conversations. Without hesitation, he had begun to strategize his own path.
His sharpness and decisiveness left the twins feeling a little defeated. They were mischievous, sure, but as members of the Weasley family, they also carried a sense of pride deep within.
"Captain, have you considered what happens if you're wrong?" Fred asked.
"What if the war never comes? Wouldn't all your preparations be for nothing?"
"I've got money," Harry said lightly. "My parents left me a fortune I couldn't spend in several lifetimes. I checked with the goblins—I've got millions of Galleons. Even if I waste some of it, I could always be a spendthrift. It's not like they're going to crawl out of their graves and give me a beating, right?"
After hearing Harry's outrageously rich statement, the twins quietly patted their own empty pockets and exchanged a meaningful glance.
"Captain!"
"Boss!"
"How about I give you a shoulder rub?"
"And I'll massage your legs!"
"From now on, wherever you go, we'll follow!"
"How much for Fred's 200 pounds of meat, Captain?"
"How about we give George's half at a discount?" Fred added.
"Right, right, and Fred's portion comes with a free bone crack—physical or magical, your choice!"
Watching the two bicker and banter as they flattered him, Harry couldn't help but laugh. He swatted their hands away playfully.
"Get lost! If I wanted a massage, don't you think I'd hire some tall, pretty ladies in stockings? You two are way off track—this isn't your job!"
"But I get it," Harry continued, his tone becoming more serious. "I'll set aside some funds for your research, and I'll also provide whatever resources I can. But once you're committed, be ready."
"There's no such thing as a free lunch."
"And there's no such thing as love without a reason."
Fred and George dropped their playful attitudes and responded earnestly.
"For us, this is an opportunity to achieve our dreams. And we're prepared to pay the price."
"If war does come, we want to make a difference. If it doesn't, our efforts won't have been wasted."
"As long as you don't become the next Dark Lord."
"We'll gladly follow you."
"Since you're ready," Harry nodded slightly, "I'll draft a magical contract soon. We'll establish the equipment R&D department under the battle group."
"Let's give it our all. Whatever happens, the time we spent working for this will be worth remembering for the rest of our lives."
"Oh, and speaking of Voldemort, I had a dream my first night at Hogwarts. There was a conversation in it."
"Voldemort was talking to a mysterious voice. The voice asked him, 'How many people have you killed? Hundreds?' Voldemort answered, 'Yes, hundreds.' The voice then asked, 'What about yesterday?'"
"Yesterday?" Fred and George's eyes widened in horror. "What kind of hellish joke is that?"
They shivered. Hogwarts—no, the world—surely couldn't harbor such unimaginable evil, could it?
(End of Chapter)